This unexpected slim-down came at the very moment when fashion seemed to be in the early stages of a change in perspective, with the emergence of a certain diversity on the catwalks.

After two fashion giants—Kering and LVMH—signed a charter excluding size zero models or those under 16 years old from the catwalk in 2017, the triumph of the body positivity movement has, in recent years, brought more plus-sized models to the catwalks and to advertising campaigns.

This is however just a minor revolution in an industry still dominated by many norms and conventions. But these advances could be reduced to nothing—or almost nothing—if they continue to exclude the majority of women, who are neither a size zero, nor a plus size, and even more so if these advances are halted by a return to extreme thinness.

Such was the observation made during the spring-summer 2023 fashion weeks, held in September last year.

In 2021, the Y2K years rose to prominence as the new star era of fashion, bringing back many relics of the 2000s, including low-rise cuts, micro mini-skirts, visible g-strings, crop tops and hot pants. All of which are, undeniably, not the most conducive to embracing the concept of body positivism.

Originating on social networks, the craze for the noughties soon made it onto the catwalks, in turn ushering in the great return of size zero. Some of the world’s biggest fashion houses—including Givenchy, Coperni and Miu Miu, to name but a few—have gained much media attention for their waif-like models such as Bella Hadid or Kaia Gerber, among others.

As well as raising concern, the trend perhaps serves as a reminder that inclusivity is far from being a given in the fashion industry.

Alexandra Van Houtte, founder of the specialist fashion search engine, Tagwalk, recently confirmed the trend to the New York Times, revealing that last season, “more than half of all fashion week shows still had no models who weren’t a dress size zero or two”.

A finding that confirms the return—or the omnipresence—of ultra-thin models on the catwalk. And that’s not all, since the Tagwalk founder also said that the specialist fashion search engine’s database so far lists only three midsize models—US size eight to 12 (EU 40-44)—compared to more than 80 so-called “curve” models —with sizes above size 12.

All of which leaves a gaping gap of representation for mid-sized, and often average-sized, bodies.

In November 2022, the New York Post highlighted this return to the cult of thinness with an article titled Bye-Bye Booty: Heroin Chic is Back.

It talks about the end of an era—an era celebrating curves—giving way to a new age of thin, even skeletal silhouettes. Indeed, “heroin chic” refers to a grunge aesthetic that came about in the 1990s, characterised by models with an androgynous look, pale complexion, and dark circles around their eyes—often associated with Kate Moss.

The aesthetic is especially controversial since it has been—and still is—associated with drug use and eating disorders.

The story spurred a strong reaction from the actress and feminist activist Jameela Jamil: “I am of the generation of the first wave of this. We never fully recovered. I lost two decades of my life. I’m BEGGING you to violently reject this, and to VIOLENTLY REJECT any people, or magazines or news outlets who are participating in the spread of this hell”, she wrote in an Instagram post.

All of which serves as a necessary reminder of the consequences that praising this kind of aesthetic could have, and especially of the effects of the popularisation of any trend promoting such a body type to the detriment of others.

As such, body positivism—the acceptance of all human bodies—seems more than ever necessary to shatter the many norms and expectations that still surround the worlds of fashion and beauty.

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